Monday 23 September 2013

Borders Scraps Store - Musselburgh

I have officially fallen in love with the Aladdin's cave that is Borders Scraps Store!! 
I had a couple of days off work at the end of August and per chance whilst walking past Lush on Princes Street I noticed a strangely wonderful amount of fabric and trims among the typical bath bombs and smelly soap cakes. Obviously further investigation was required and I hastily did an about turn on the street and headed in to the shop. There amongst a sea of tweed and shampoo I met a couple of lovely ladies how informed me all about this fantastic place called Borders Scraps Store in Musselburgh.


I mentioned a few thing that I picked up on my visit to the store in my Fall Essentials Sew Along plans post but I thought that my little collection of goodies deserved a post of its own.

So, going clockwise this is what I bought -
Peacock Blue light weight knit fabric
Khaki green lining
Red polyester with big blue and purple flowers
Blue (unidentified type)
Green 100% wool 
Grey spot/bubble cotton
Neospun jersey beige skirt kit
plus 4 random zips (10p each!)
All for a little over £15!

This is a strange fabric. I don’t have a clue what it is but it’s quite light weight and cosy and has a nice movement to it. Frankly, I bought it because of the price tag and for 75p I am sure I can make something lovely. Currently I am thinking of some sort of loose fit jumper such as DixieDIY's Cocoa Sweater (free pattern). 

One of my favourite finds was this Courtelle Neospun Jersey “make your own skirt” kit complete with thick jersey fabric, matching zip and a label with all of the washing instructions. It was the most expensive item that I bought from the store but it was still a bargain and is going to make a great skirt. I’m not entirely sure what I am going to do with it yet but I am thinking it will involve some pleats and perhaps some chocolate brown ribbon to break up all that beige.

The only downside of this store is that it is only open during the week and therefore is very difficult to get to unless they are having an open day or you take a holiday :-(. As it is a registered charity the store must be run by volunteers and understandably they can’t staff it all of the time. They also ask for you to sign up to an annual membership to the store. At £7 a year it is not a huge amount but, considering how difficult it is to get to the shop when you work full time it seems a bit of a shame you have to pay for an annual membership. From what I understand the shop opens anytime the community centre (which it is based in) has an open day or is involved in a car boot sale. Personally, I hope for more car boot sales and will be checking facebook for any change in opening times so I can enjoy this treasure trove some more.

1 comment:

  1. What a fantastic place to find...very serendipitous!! You MUST go back!!

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